How to Fix Your iPhone’s Blurry Home Screen in 3 Easy Way

Key Takeaways
  • The iPhone's home screen may appear blurry due to Legibility Blur settings, Focus Mode settings, or low-resolution wallpapers.
  • To fix blurriness, users can adjust the Legibility Blur setting, delete or modify Focus Modes, or select a high-resolution wallpaper suitable for their device model.
  • Understanding the reasons behind a blurry home screen and how to address them can help maintain clarity and user preference on iOS devices.

Many iPhone users might have recently noticed a strange phenomenon where their home screens appear blurred out. While the icons are still displayed and function normally, the background and other elements are blurry.

In this guide, we will go over some steps to fix your blurred home screen and explore the reasons behind why this happens.

How Does the iPhone’s Home Screen Work?

Unlike Android, on an iPhone, your home screen serves as your primary app launcher. It consists mainly of app icons, providing a launchpad for everything you do on your device. The screen is designed for simplicity, with a dock at the bottom for your most-used apps.

iOS Home Screen (Blur vs. Normal)

Aside from all of that, there is essentially nothing else you’ll find. There is a Wallpaper in the background, and that’s it.

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Reasons and Potential Fixes for Blurry iOS Home Screen

On your iPhone, if you feel that your home screen is blurry in any way, it could be because of, and not limited to, one of the reasons mentioned below.

1. Legibility Blur

Starting with iOS 16, Apple introduced Legibility Blur, an option to blur home screen backgrounds. This feature was intended to reduce distractions and improve icon visibility.

For some users, maintaining a clean interface can be beneficial. If this setting is enabled on your device, your icons will appear completely crisp, while the background remains blurred. To reset this setting to the default view, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to Settings and tap on Wallpaper.
  2. Tap “Customize” on the wallpaper you want to adjust (either Lock Screen or Home Screen).
  3. Look for a toggle labeled “Blur” or “Legibility Blur.
  4. If it’s enabled, try turning it off to see if that sharpens the background.
Turning Off Legibility Blur on iOS

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2. Focus Mode

Focus Mode is another helpful feature on iOS devices that is designed to minimize distractions. It filters notifications based on your situation. You can manually set up Focus profiles for various scenarios, such as Work, Sleep, Driving, or even Personal Time.

When enabled, Focus Mode can also link your Home and Lock Screens to specific wallpapers. If you see a different Home Screen, possibly blurred out, compared to your usual one, Focus Mode might be activated. To disable this feature, follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings and tap on Focus.
  2. Tap on whatever Mode you wish to disable.
  3. Scroll down and tap on “Delete Focus.
Removing a Focus Mode

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3. Low-Resolution Wallpaper

Your iPhone has a specific display resolution that it uses to scale any wallpaper you set on the lock or home screen. If the image you choose has a lower resolution than ideal, the wallpaper will start to pixelate to fill the screen. If the resolution is significantly lower than what is recommended, it will appear blurry.

To fix this issue, try setting a default wallpaper that is already available on your iPhone and see if the blurriness resolves itself. This will help confirm if the problem lies with the custom image you were using. Here is the ideal wallpaper size for each of the previous generation of iPhones.

DEVICEIdeal Wallpaper Resolution
iPhone 15 and 15 Pro2556 x 1179 pixels
iPhone 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max2796 x 1290 pixels
iPhone 142532 x 1170 pixels
iPhone 14 Plus2778 x 1284 pixels
iPhone 14 Pro2556 x 1179 pixels
iPhone 14 Pro Max2796 x 1290 pixels
iPhone 132640 x 1200 pixels
iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max2880 x 1320 pixels
iPhone 12 mini2340 x 1080 pixels
iPhone 12, 12 Pro2532 x 1170 pixels
iPhone 12 Pro Max2778 x 1284 pixels
iPhone 11, iPhone XR1792 x 828 pixels
iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone XS2436 x 1125 pixels
iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS Max2688 x 1242 pixels

If you have an older iPhone, just Google the model to find out its resolution easily.

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Conclusion

With the recent expansion of software customization options for iOS devices, users may occasionally find a pixelated or blurry lock screen, which can be distracting or may seem unusual. However, understanding features like Legibility Blur and the different Focus Modes can help you not only troubleshoot the current issue but also identify similar situations that might arise in the future.

FAQs

Why is my home screen blurry, but the app icons look clear?

You may’ve enabled Legibility Blur in your phone’s Display settings. The methods to do so are outlined in the guide above.

I have disabled Legibility Blur, but the home screen is still blurry. How do I fix this?

Well, chances are that the wallpaper that you’ve set is incompatible with your iPhone’s resolution. With each year, Apple sort of raises the resolution and pixel density for each of the successive model in a particular lineup and so, if you’ve switched to a new iPhone, you may also need to switch to a new wallpaper.

I use the “Sleep” Focus Mode regularly and don’t really want to disable it. What do I do?

You can unlink your home-screen to your current focus mode. This way, any changes you make won’t affect your home or lock screen layout. To do so, go to Settings -> Focus -> Tap on Options under Customize Screens -> Switch off the toggle next to customize screens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Muhammad Qasim


Qasim's deep love for technology and gaming drives him to not only stay up-to-date on the latest developments but also to share his informed perspectives with others through his writing. Whether through this or other endeavors, he is committed to sharing his expertise and making a meaningful contribution to the world of tech and gaming.